Espresso Martini in Soho or afternoon tea in Park Lane (with compulsory touristy pics of Buckingham Palace)? You won’t find me saying no to either. But for the same price as two cocktails in London my mate Nic found a great Groupon deal: Chocoholics Afternoon Tea. We literally inhaled yummy open sandwiches, savoured endless cups of tea and marvelled over (and ate) designer cakes that sat on top of an artist’s palette made of chocolate. Set in the peaceful surrounds of the Hilton hotel – perfect for uninterrupted girlie catch-ups. All of this and one of the prettiest doggy bags I’ve ever seen!

I had a bit of moment, I had to clean out the fridge. Like a woman possessed, I had to sort out ‘that veg’ and plan the meals for the week ahead. Nothing else mattered but getting that bottom drawer in order. Too late. Those veggies would just about last one more day – let alone a week. An interesting mix of veg, there was only one thing for it – soup. I roasted the veg first, it’s great for giving soup that extra depth of flavour. Use whatever veggies you have! My recipe went something like this:

1 Preheat the oven to 180’C, fan 160’C, gas 4. Divide all the prepared vegetables between two large baking trays with the rosemary. Drizzle with the oil, toss well and roast for 35-40 mins (remove lighter veg such as broccoli after 20 mins).

2 Remove the rosemary, then place all the veg in a large saucepan, pour over the beef stock and season with freshly ground black pepper. Bring to the boil, then reduce the heat, cover, and simmer for 10 mins.

3 Allow to cool slightly, then blitz with a hand blender until smooth. Re-heat to serve. Serve with a squeeze of lemon juice and a sprig of basil to garnish.

Must-go: Gone!

House of Peroni (see Food News #4 for more details)

A fab night. Like a posh, well-behaved house party. Move over warm wine and salted peanuts, I found myself with an ice-cold Peroni in one hand and a crispy crackling, roasted pork belly bun in the other (seasoned with fennel seeds, rosemary & garlic. Heaven). So delighted, I decided to top it all off with a cheeky Negroni.

Your roasted vegetable soup recipe appeared at exactly the right time. My husband has started to cook as he says, but in reality it’s just industrial size quantities of roasted vegetables which we seem to be eating forever. Your recipe will thankfully provide me with another dietary option!